Chapter Text
Exiting a shop, Girlfriend searches the plastic bag for the soda. She grabs it and cracks it open in one go, drinking it all. Once it’s empty, she crushes the can and it evaporates into a red mist. Looking around, she grabs her phone and then looks at a checklist of things she needs to get done before the night is done. Skimming through most of it, she notes that there are only two things left to do before calling it a day. Putting the phone away, Girlfriend gets moving.
As she prepares herself to teleport, she notices something move from afar. Turning to it, Girlfriend raises an eyebrow. For a while, GF waits to see if something moves again. A glass bottle tips down, and cracks. Curious, she cautiously approaches. Reaching her hand out, she is surprised by a cat meowing. “Huh?” Looking closer, Girlfriend notices a cat seemingly scavenging through the trash. “A cat?” Hearing a voice, the cat turns around, but then quickly runs away. “Wait!” Still wanting to interact with it, GF tries chasing it before she loses line of sight.
It takes a while to even get close enough to reach out for the cat, but Girlfriend closes the gap between her and the cat. Before she can grab them, the cat leaps onto her face and scratches it. She yelps in shock and tries to get the cat off. With some struggling, the cat leaps away and the chase continues again.
After a long attempt of chasing, the cat is backed into a corner. Girlfriend takes a long breather, “I’ve got you now, kitty.” Putting a hand on her face, the scratches all fade away and heal themselves. “Can you please calm down?” As she reaches out, GF hears someone else move nearby.
“I wouldn’t touch the cat if I were you.” Girlfriend looks toward the sound of the voice. In a corner, a homeless man sits on the wall. The man whistles out, and the cat quickly runs up to him. “I might’ve taught the cat to attack anyone else if they feel threatened.”
Girlfriend calms herself down and sighs at that. “Oh. I’m… sorry? I guess I got a little too excited and… wanted to pet the cat.” She rubs the back of her head, then looks at the man. He seems to have one of his legs in a makeshift crutch. A part of her wants to pry, but the rest feels like asking is a bad idea. “Did you give the cat a name?”
He shakes his head. “Didn’t really have a reason to.” He strokes the fur of the cat and smiles.
There’s an awkward moment of silence that Girlfriend goes through, uncertain of if she should leave, or continue talking. Taking a deep breath, she decides to help the man out. “Um… do you want something to help you out?” She reaches into her bag and hands him a can of soda. At first, he refuses, but Girlfriend insists on giving it to him.
“I appreciate your donation, I suppose.” Opening the can, he drinks for a while. “You should get going. It’s getting late and all.” Girlfriend nods and leaves the man with his cat. A small smile grows on her face, she feels like she did something good all by herself.